Clinical
by thatTWWgirl
Summary: Sometimes, the love of your life appears to you in a beautiful dream, tending to your every need and assuaging your worries. Sometimes, he appears to you in the form of a morphine-addled patient, staring up at you and slurring, "Are you an angel?" Doctor!Donna AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I want you guys to know that I tried really, really hard not to start a new story. For Valentine's Day, all I wanted was to write a cute little fic for _Orphan Collective_ , but _nooo_. Instead, my muse got stuck on a Valentine's Day fic for this AU, which none of you have read (and which is only half written). Alas!**

 **That being said, I really do like this AU. I wanted to unveil it at a less chaotic time, but, c'est la vie. I hope you guys enjoy the intro, and know that sooner or later, there's a killer Valentine's Day chapter for this coming at ya! Until then, thanks for sticking with me, you guys.**

 **Disclaimer: If only love could make them mine.**

 **Reviews: They are my lifeblood**

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Josh swims to the surface of consciousness slowly, and hovers there for a moment before opening his eyes. There is a rustling sound near his head, and he smells something vaguely floral. It's a nice change from the antiseptic. Though his eyelids are heavy, he blinks a few times, and a blur of light swirls into view. He blinks a few more times, images starting to drift into focus. The overhead light is harsh, but silhouetted against it is an ethereal figure. Dressed in blue, the figure is bent over him, a radiant smile welcoming him to what he assumes is the afterlife. Blonde hair shrouds the face of his savior, and large blue eyes stare into his.

He attempts to lift his hand to try to touch her, just to see if it will pass through her otherworldly presence like through vapor, but his arm weighs tons. He frowns.

The figure says something, in a voice that sounds like tinkling church bells. He thinks absently, _Mom would be so pissed if the Christians got this one right._

He realizes he wasn't listening to her. This is troubling, because she might've said something crucial to his journey into the afterlife. Attempting to clarify the situation, he asks, "Are you an angel?"

The angel, he's quite certain, giggles. "Sure. That's not what I usually get, but in a way, I have indeed been assigned to be your guardian angel, Mr. Lyman."

He says something utterly suave and sophisticated, like, "Cool."

"I'm just changing out your morhpine drip, okay? You can go back to sleep. You need your rest."

"Okay." She is his guardian angel, after all, so she must know what's best for him. He drifts back to sleep, feeling safe and at peace.

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Two days later, Josh is finally on some pain meds that cause less of a stupor, so he's quite alert when a team of doctors enters his hospital room one morning. Most look quite young, and they're following close behind a slightly older doctor, the only one in a lab coat. They all crowd into his room and stare at him, causing his guests (his mother and CJ) to stand and take their leave.

"Doctors," Ruth greets cordially.

"Sorry for the crowd, ladies, I'm leading rounds with my interns here. We'll be done in just a few moments."

"Take your time."

Josh is left alone with the cluster of scrubs-clad interns, all watching him eagerly. He gives them half a smile, uncertain of the procedure here. "Uh, hi."

"Good morning, Mr. Lyman. It's good to see you awake and alert. We did this a few times while you were unconscious, but it's always better to have an upright patient to interact with. My name is Dr. Jenkins, and I'm the resident presiding over your case. These are my interns, and we're conducting rounds this morning."

"Ah-Kay." Josh nods as if he knows more about this process then the little he'd gleaned from various medical TV shows he'd caught snatches of over the years. "Well, uh, do your thing, I guess."

One of the interns in the back stifles a chuckle, and Josh finds himself distracted. Standing partially obscured by her peers is a girl - woman, he supposes - who looks oddly familiar. He can't quite place her, but he's sure he's seen her somewhere. It bothers him, because she's definitely the type of person he'd remember - she's stunning. She's tall, blonde, and undeniably gorgeous, even in unflattering scrubs and no makeup.

"Thanks." Dr. Jenkins gives him a slight smile. The blonde girl sobers herself but her eyes continue to twinkle as she makes eye contact with Josh. She gives him a small wave, further confusing him. "Now, who's the intern assigned to Mr. Lyman?"

"Me, sir." The girl steps forward, and Josh's confusion dissipates. That must be where he'd seen her, even if he doesn't fully remember it.

"Alright, Dr. Moss." Dr. Jenkins acknowledges. _Moss. I'll remember that this time_ , Josh tells himself. "What can you tell us about Mr. Lyman here?"

"Mr. Lyman arrived about three days ago with a gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet pierced his pulmonary artery and collapsed his left lung. He was in surgery for fourteen hours. The artery was repaired, internal bleeding was stopped, and he's on the path to a full recovery. We decreased his pain medication this morning, and he starts physical therapy to regain the full functionality of his left side on Thursday."

Josh is impressed with all of the information she's able to rattle off about him. She'd probably spent more time with him than he realized.

"And what are his primary risk factors?"

"Infection, naturally, and embolism, particularly because he presents with high blood pressure."

"Very good, Doctor. Since Mr. Lyman is awake now, why don't you go over his treatment plan with him while the rest of us move on?"

"Of course, sir." Dr. Moss nods, and Dr. Jenkins files out with the rest of the interns. Dr. Moss approaches his bed with a bright smile, and begins checking his vitals. "Good to see you up and at 'em, Mr. Lyman. How are you managing the pain today?"

"It's not so bad." He says quickly. He clears his throat. "It's Dr. Moss, right?"

"Right. I'm the intern assigned to you for the duration of your stay with us, which means you'll be seeing a lot of me as you recover. Though Dr. Jenkins has final authority over most of the cases on this floor, I'll be doing most of the work day in and day out."

"Okay." He says slowly. "And have we, uh... Met?"

She moves on to scribbling something down on her chart. "You've only been semi-conscious once when I came in to check on you."

"Oh."

She grins at his lost expression. "You were flying pretty high on morphine, and you asked me if I was an angel."

"Oh." He fights down a blush. "I, uh, I did?"

"You did."

He chances half a smile. "I'm quite the charmer."

She laughs, that sound like church bells that he likes so much. "Would seem so."

He catches a faint whiff of a familiar floral scent as she leans in to check his IV placement. "So, my treatment plan?"

"Right. Well, right now there's not much we can do but keep you here under monitoring as your organs slowly start to mend. Within a few days time, you'll be ready to start light physical therapy, and after you've regained some mobility and we're sure you're on the right path, we can discharge you."

"Okay." He allows. "That's great and all, but when can I get back to work?" That's the question that's really been on his mind, ever since he fully regained consciousness.

"Work?" She quirks an eyebrow at him.

"I can't be out too long, you know. I'm missing a lot." He gives her his best charming smile. "I'm a pretty important guy."

"Oh, I'm aware, Mr. Lyman." Her voice is laced with amusement.

"Josh." He interrupts. "Call me Josh."

"Okay, Josh." She gives him a look. "You may be an important guy, but while you're here, you answer to me, you got that? I've got the final say."

"All I asked was-"

"You were shot, Josh. You need time to heal. You can't rush this process. You'll be out of work for some time, and that's just the way it is."

He inadvertently bangs his head back against his headboard in his petulant display of irritation.

She frowns. "Don't do that."

"Look, I need to work." He realizes that he's starting to whine, so he clears his throat again and presses on. "Working from here is a good start, and from home will be okay for a while, but what I need is to be back there. If you're not in the building, you're missing it. I work for the President, Dr. Moss, and he needs me there, in the middle of it, you understand?"

She folds her arms over her clipboard and stares him down. "Listen, _Josh_ , there's something you've got to understand. This is the kind of thing you cannot rush, which believe me, I know, is a pain to a lot of DC big wigs like yourself. You're not going to be working, from _anywhere_ , until I give you the all clear. Now, I'm going to do everything I can to get you back on the job as soon as possible. You trust me, don't you?"

Josh gives her a reproachful look. "I don't know. I guess you're well-trained, right?"

She straightens up primly. "Very. I was the top of my class at Harvard Med School."

He raises his eyebrows, surprised and impressed. "Hey, I went to Harvard."

"I was also accepted into the very competitive trauma program here at GW. You know why? Because I'm good at this."

"You seem pretty full of yourself."

"So do you." She claps back easily. "And, you asked."

He gives her the once over. "You seem very young."

She rolls her eyes. "Josh. I promise you're in good hands. Now, are you with me on this?"

"I guess I don't have a choice."

A small smile tugs at her lips. "I am, after all, your guardian angel."

His eyes widen. "Now you're just being cruel."

She grins fully. "I'll be back to change your bandages in a couple hours, okay, pumpkin patch?"

"I'll be here, Dr. Moss. Don't you worry."

"You can call me Donna." She says as she breezes out of the room. "It's only fair."

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 **Gah I love this. I've got some really cute things in store for them, just you wait! Of course, I've got other stories to attend to, but I couldn't help myself with this. I hope you guys like it!**

 ****Disclaimer: I have zero medical knowledge, and frankly I don't even know where to begin with research. As such, I'm using what little I've got from _Grey's Anatomy_ and _Scrubs_ to get by. Please forgive me any mistakes!**

 **Happy Valentine's Day, guys! I love you all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Some nice weekend fluff for you all! I don't feel too bad about exploring this story because I feel _EDC_ and _Formative Years_ are in pretty good places for little breaks, don't you guys? Everyone is happy and together, at least. **

**I'm glad you guys are interested in this story, because I've been binging _Scrubs_ and this is where my muse keeps going! Also, shoutout to _db_ for giving me the fantastic idea to include Carla in this story - I ran with it. If none of the rest of you have seen the show, don't worry about it, it won't be central to the story - it's just for fun!**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Love you guys!**

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Josh wakes up to the sound of soft chatter and laughter. He inclines his head slightly to the left, a movement which is unusually strenuous for him, and finds his doctor conversing animatedly with his mother. He blinks a few times, and Dr. Moss's head snaps toward him as though she has a sixth sense.

"Josh! You're awake. That's good." She steps up to his bedside. "I was just talking to your wonderful mother."

"Great." He mumbles, certain that his physician is now armed with embarrassing anecdotes about him.

Ruth appears at Donna's shoulder. "I love this girl, Joshua. She's so funny! And so smart. You listen to her now, you understand me?" She points a finger at him sternly.

"You got it, mom."

Donna smirks. "I'm going to change your bandages now, as promised. Mrs. Lyman, if you want to..."

Ruth pats Josh's hand. "I'll be in the lobby. Leo is stopping by soon, I'll greet him."

"Thanks."

Donna waits until the door closes behind her. "Very charming woman, your mother."

Josh smiles dryly. "Yes, she's quite something."

"That's where you get it from, yes? The charm?"

"In all likelihood."

Donna presses a button on the side of his bed, raising him up slightly. She starts to pull down his gown, and he raises an eyebrow. "Getting right to it, huh?"

"I'm sorry, would you like me to buy you dinner first?"

"Yes, actually. I can understand how you'd be eager to undress me, but..."

"Relax. I've already seen it all, while you were unconscious."

He makes a face. "Great. That's just great."

She continues to smirk, fully pulling his gown down to his waist and moving his arm so she can examine his bandages. She prods his side gently before starting to pull up the medical tape. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

He dimples, watching the intent expression on her face. "Like what you see, huh?"

She snorts. "I _meant_ because I see all sorts of people in various states of undress every day."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Take it however you want." She doesn't look up, concentrating on her task.

"So I've got a question, Doctor."

"Donna."

He smiles slightly. "Okay, Donna. I've got a question."

"Shoot."

"Why am I so goddamn tired? I've slept like ninety percent of my time here. It's infuriating."

"Your body went through some serious trauma." She says evenly. "It needs sleep to recover. In addition, some of your medications can make you drowsy, as can the decreased flow of oxygen, which is due to the damage you sustained to your lungs."

"Huh." He bites the inside of his lip. "When does that stop?"

"It's not an 'all at once' kind of deal, Josh. Gradually you'll find you have more energy and more stamina. Once you start physical therapy and we get you mobile, things will start to pick up. But don't expect it to be easy - things like taking a walk down the hallway will seem impossible at first."

"I see you're back on that 'this takes time' thing again, huh?" He mutters.

"I see you're back on that impatient thing again, huh?"

"Me? No, never. I'm the world's most patient patient." He gives her a winning smile.

She doesn't look impressed. "What's the rush, anyway? Don't you love seeing my shining face?"

"Oh, quite dearly, Donna. Quite dearly."

"Your stitches are healing quite well, you'll be pleased to know."

He goes on as though he hadn't heard her, "I just hate sleeping. It's a waste of time."

"I can assure you it's not." She presses a fresh gauze pad to his chest. "Let me guess, you don't sleep much normally, do you?"

"I don't need to. I'm what some might call a human anomaly."

"You're what I might call a workaholic." She attaches the bandages securely on all sides with medical tape. "It's good you're sleeping. I'm sure you've got a lot to make up for."

He sulks. "Your hands are cold."

"I'm wearing gloves."

"I can feel the chill through them."

"You're numbed."

"I'm just telling you how I feel. I'm supposed to do that, right?"

She gives him a pointed glare as she removes her gloves and starts to pull his gown back up. He assists as best he can. "I have poor circulation."

"You should see a doctor about that."

"You're really not very charming, you know."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'll be back in a couple hours to check on you. You should get some sleep."

"You're evil."

She grins and strides out of his room, waving as she goes. "Bye, pumpkin patch."

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Donna marches into her patient's room with a stern frown. "Joshua."

Josh looks briefly away from the TV. "Mm?"

"The nurses tell me that you've been yelling at your TV again, and that your blood pressure is spiking."

He shrugs, looking unconcerned. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"I've already banned every news station from your TV. Did you manage to sweet talk some nurse into CSPAN? What did you do?"

He gestures at the TV. "I'm obeying orders, Doc."

She glances at the TV, which is tuned to ESPN. "Sports? Seriously?"

"It's baseball season. Don't worry, game's over, I'm calm."

"You're seriously one of those guys that yells at the TV over _sports_?"

"I'm... Impassioned."

"That's one word for it."

"You don't like baseball?"

She shrugs. "I'm more of a basketball fan."

He gives her a seriously disappointed look. "What's your team?"

"Pistons."

"You from Michigan?"

"Wisconsin. What's your team?"

"Basketball, Knicks. In general? The greatest sports team in history, the New York Mets."

"I'm banning the sports channels from your TV."

"No! Donna, c'mon, the fact that I was shot during baseball season and not some other time of year is the only thing that's keeping me from chewing my arm off."

She folds her arms. "You're from New York?"

"Connecticut."

"But-"

"My parents are from New York." He clarifies.

"And you like baseball."

"As all true Americans do, yes."

"You play?"

"I did in high school."

She smirks at the image of this. "Okay, Joshua. You can keep ESPN. But - and I mean this - if your blood pressure spikes over 160, I'm sedating you through the next Mets game. Are we clear?"

"Aye aye, cap'n."

"Have you seen _A League of Their Own_?"

"Is that that girls' baseball movie?"

"It's good. It taught me really all that I know about baseball."

He looks appalled. "You need some serious education. But, don't worry, I can provide it."

She shrugs. "You should watch the movie."

"Do I feel a deal coming on?"

She shakes her head, smiling. "I'm a very busy woman, Josh. I don't have time for a man to condescendingly lecture me on the history and significance of baseball."

"Not even one so charming as me?"

"Not even."

"That's too bad."

"Chin up, Lyman. There's no crying in baseball."

"Is that a reference?"

She shakes her head in scorn. "I'll try and get my hands on the movie."

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As Donna pulls into the parking lot outside GW, she notices a commotion near the main entrance. She squints as she passes, surveying the mass of people outside. She hadn't seen a crowd like this since the President's discharge, when the press had dissipated. After closer inspection, she sees that the crowd is composed almost entirely of women. Some appear to be as young as college students, others are well into middle age. And, as she understands it, the source of the commotion is that they're all trying to get into the building, armed with signs, cards, flowers and the odd balloon.

Shaking her head, Donna pulls into her parking space and uses the staff entrance. Before going to her locker, she stops at the nurses' station. "Carla."

Donna's best friend and nurse extraordinaire Carla Espinosa looks up from a chart. "Hey, what's up?"

"What's with the mob?" Donna asks, attempting to peer through the double doors to the noisy crowd outside. "We didn't somehow land some celebrity overnight, did we?"

Carla's eyes light up. "Glad you asked. It's your guy, actually."

"My what?" Donna asks, confused.

"You know, Josh Lyman. The one you're so preoccupied with." Carla smirks, having by now gauged that Donna's interest is more than simply professional. "Apparently he has a fan club."

"He has a fan club." Donna repeats, disbelieving.

"A pretty passionate one, too."

"But he's just... A government employee."

"One that apparently, over the course of his morning show appearances and campaign stops, has gained quite the cult following."

"That's insane."

"You're not the only one who's a sucker for dimples."

Donna aims a glare at her. "Why are they just showing up now?"

"The President is back at the White House, the shooter was caught, and the building has been secured, so that friend of his - the press secretary, CJ, you know? - she mentioned that he was here in her last briefing."

"Dear god." Donna mutters.

"Don't worry, security has it under control."

"Does he know?"

"You know, I think someone might've mentioned it to him. Plus, there's, you know, something else."

"What?"

Carla looks away coyly, starting back in on her chart. "Go get ready for rounds. You're late as it is."

Bemused, Donna hurries to deposit her belongings and report to rounds. After she completes her tour of the new patients and progressing cases, she goes to check on her remaining patients. She tells herself that Josh's chart landed on top of her pile by coincidence, but in truth, she might've alphabetized wrong on purpose. As she walks toward his room, she is hit with a rather overpowering smell. As she rounds the corner inside, all of her senses are attacked.

Inside the room, perched on every possible surface, there are flower arrangements, gift baskets, and other assorted offerings. Buried inside this mess, she can just barely see Josh, Ruth, CJ, and Sam.

"How did this happen, CJ?" She hears Josh whine.

"Your room number leaked online, Josh! I don't know how they did it. The internet crew are crafty."

"I feel like I'm drowning."

"They're trying to be nice. Hospital security has been informed of the problem, they're redirecting all deliveries to your home."

"I'll take care of those." Sam volunteers.

"They'll brighten up the place." Ruth adds.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Donna practically shouts over the chorus of voices and the equally loud colors.

From behind an extravagant arrangement of sunflowers, Josh smiles at her meekly. "Donna. I bought you some flowers, do you like them?"

His friends laugh, and even Donna looks a little amused as she rolls her eyes. "I'll be back with a few orderlies. We're clearing this out."

After the physically intensive labor of clearing Josh's room, Donna returns with her clipboard in hand, irritably flicking hair out of her slightly sweaty face. The room still reeks of flowers, but she'd called for a fan, so hopefully that'll work itself out soon. "So, you've got a fan club, huh?"

"Um, a small one, yes."

"How'd you manage that?"

"The charm." He says apologetically. "You know how it is."

"I don't, actually."

"What are you, jealous?"

She gives him half a smile. "I'm thinking of joining said club, actually."

He grins. "I'm sure they've got room."

"Some of the cards on those flowers were pretty sexually explicit, you know."

"Could you have a nurse bring those in? I'd like to do some light morning reading."

Donna purses her lips to keep from laughing, and leans in to check his vitals. "No more reading for you. Not after your little episode over string theory."

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"Donnatella."

Donna looks up from her routine changing of Josh's bandages to see that he has an unusually delighted look on his face. "What?"

"Your name is Donnatella."

She follows his gaze to see that he's looking at her ID badge, clipped to the pocket of her scrubs. "Oh. Well, yes, technically."

"Donnatella." He repeats, savoring the word. "That's a nice name."

"No one calls me that, except my parents."

"Donnatella." He says again, now sounding slightly giddy. "It suits you."

"I'd like to go back to Dr. Moss."

"It's too late for that now, Donnatella."

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 **This is so cuuuuute, I'm having such a good time. Look out for the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow!**

 **If any of you are down for more _Scrubs/Grey's_ crossover references, let me know ;) Can't wait to include more Carla!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Told you I'd have this up soon! I hope you guys are enjoying this!**

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During a routine afternoon exam late in the first week of Josh's stay at GW, CJ pokes her head in the door. "Is he decent?"

"Sure is." Donna tells her without turning around.

"Great." CJ steps completely inside. "Josh, Mandy is here."

Donna watches curiously as Josh makes a dramatic face of irritation. "Donna, tell her I died."

"Who's Mandy?" Donna asks, trying to keep her tone neutral.

"My coworker." Josh mutters.

"She's not, actually." CJ tells him flatly, coming to stand beside Donna. "She quit three days ago, remember? Her flight leaves today, she just wants to say goodbye."

"I still can't believe she quit. She's a quitter, she always has been."

"Actually, we fired her after we were elected, if you'll remember."

"Whatever." Josh says dismissively. "Still a quitter. She's in it for the job, for the résumé. Soon as things get tough..."

"The shooting really upset her, Josh."

"She wasn't there!"

"But you were, Josh. You were shot."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm not quitting." He rebukes.

"This woman has feelings for you?" Donna can't stop herself from asking. Immediately, she looks meek. "Sorry, that's not my place. It's just, you said she was upset by your injury, and-"

"She's his ex." CJ informs her with a slight smile.

"Oh." Donna says shortly.

"We were barely even together." Josh tells her, for some reason compelled to downplay the relationship to her.

CJ snorts. "Not sure Mandy remembers it that way, pal."

"Fine. She can come in for a few minutes. But after that, Donna, you're coming in and wheeling me into emergency surgery, you got that?"

"If you treated her this well when you were together, I can't imagine why you broke up." Donna deadpans.

"Hey now." Josh gives her a reproachful look. "We broke up because she's insufferable."

"Actually, you broke up because you ignored her half the time." CJ chimes in.

"CJ, do you have to be here for this?"

"Yes, actually. That reminds me, have you returned any of Joey's calls like I told you to?"

Josh groans. "We're back on that?"

"So you're also involved with someone named Joey?" Donna asks delicately, now more comfortable joining in on the teasing.

"A woman named Joey, yes." Josh clarifies hastily. "And we're not really involved, we just..."

"Maybe you would be, if you actually called her back." CJ prods him. "She's worried about you."

"I was just shot! I haven't exactly had the time, okay?"

"You didn't exactly have the time for her before this, either."

"Go get Mandy, would you?"

CJ leaves slowly, a smirk still firmly in place.

"So what I'm hearing is..."

"I'm a player." He shakes his head. "I know, I create that illusion. But I assure you-"

"No. Asshole. I was going to say that what I'm hearing is that you're an asshole."

"I am not!" He gives her a wounded look. "I'm just busy, okay? People never seem to get that, though I tell 'em going in. My work is my life, that's just how it is."

Donna purses her lips. She supposes that she understands that. She'd been guilty of choosing work over potential partners in the past. Her last boyfriend, Chris, had broken up with her after a few too many dinners were cancelled in favor of staying overtime. "Alright, player. Whatever you say."

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"I was about to go on my lunch break, Josh. My well earned lunch break. Do you understand? I'm working a twelve hour shift, and I worked through my nine o'clock break."

"I'm not stopping you."

"But really, you are." She steps inside and leans against his wall, scowling at him. "You didn't eat your breakfast, and now you're refusing lunch."

"I'm not hungry." He says weakly.

"You need to eat, Josh. To heal, you have to sleep, and you have to eat. I can't believe we're having to go over these basics again."

"Donna." Josh groans. "I'm not moving at all. Do I seriously need that many calories?"

"So what, now you're body conscious?"

"Just not hungry."

"Do I need to call your mother? She just left an hour ago for a well deserved nap, but I can-"

"You wouldn't."

She just her chin out determinedly. "Okay. Then eat your lunch."

Josh sinks back against his pillows. "It's gross, okay! The food is gross! If I have to look at another jello cup, I'm going to puke. I want a burger. Fries. Pasta. Please. I can't live this way, I'm only a man."

Donna bursts into unexpected laughter, surprised by his outburst. "Ah, so that's it. Yeah, this happens a lot."

Josh gives her a baleful look. "I'm so hungry, Donna. But please don't make me eat another stale ham sandwich."

She chuckles again, relieved there's not actually something wrong with his appetite. "I'll tell you what. I've got a lunch packed for myself. You can have half, and I'll take your jello and half your sandwich."

Josh perks up. "What do you have for lunch?"

"A salad, a yogurt, some carrot sticks, and pretzels."

Josh wrinkles his nose. "That's almost as bad."

"Take it or leave it, pumpkin patch."

He tilts his head to one side. "I'll take it."

Ten minutes later, Donna is settled in the chair by Josh's bed, contentedly sharing food. "What are we watching?"

"This is the Orioles against the Braves."

"Do you want to talk me through it, all condescending and whatnot?"

He glances over at her as he takes a carrot stick from the tray. "You'd let me?"

"I've got some time, now."

Josh lights up as he launches into the lecture, and Donna contentedly spends her lunch break eating hospital jello and watching him.

Josh doesn't complain about the food the next day, but Donna finds herself bringing her lunch box into his room again. In the other hand, she holds a DVD. She smiles at Josh and Ruth. "Ruth, hi."

"Hello, dear! It's nice to see you."

"And you. Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"

"What do you have there?" Josh asks.

"Get ready, pal." She puts the movie in and settles into one of his visitor's chairs as the previews before _A League of Their Own_ start playing.

"Is this that damn movie you've been-"

"We did baseball your way. Now we're doing it mine."

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"Haven't seen you in the cafeteria the past few days." Carla says pointedly as Donna pauses at the counter, scribbling something out on a chart.

"Hm?" Donna looks up with faux innocence. "Oh, I've been... Busy. With patients."

"With one patient in particular, I've noticed."

Donna freezes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Donna. C'mon. You and gunshot are getting pretty cozy, especially for a patient that's no longer critical."

Donna flops down listlessly onto the counter, resting her forehead on her chart. "It's that obvious?"

Carla smiles. "I don't blame you. He's cute. Don't blame that entire fan club, honestly."

"He's actually hot." Donna informs her friend dismally, picking her head up off the chart. "He is demonstrably, undeniably hot. Something I wish I didn't know, but I change his bandages twice a day. My hands shake, Carla. They shake."

"He's that fine, huh?"

"I'm not sure anymore. He could just have magical powers that I've fallen prey to."

"Magic powers, huh?"

"And abs. Abs that I look at twice a day."

"If it helps, he won't be mobile for a while, so he'll probably lose them."

"That does help, thank you."

"And I can get a nurse to change his bandages, if you want. It's not like he's critical anymore."

"No." Donna says immediately. "No, I've got it."

Carla raises an eyebrow. "Did I just hear jealousy?"

"What? No, I was just-"

"You don't want anybody else touching your man?"

Donna frowns. "That's not what I meant."

"Do you like him?"

"No! No, of course not. I'm his doctor. That's all."

"His doctor whose hands shake when she changes the bandages on his fine body, that's all?"

"It's the magic, I'm telling you. It has nothing to do with me."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

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By the end of Josh's first week in the hospital, Toby attempts to ask him for some advice on a congressional issue despite the many warnings not to bring up work around him. He and Sam cluster around Josh's bed, briefing him on the situation.

"Yeah, so that's easy, you just get Alvarez with the-"

Josh is interrupted by Donna bursting into his room without knocking. He looks up at her meekly as she stands before them, hands on hips. "Hello, boys."

The three men chorus a weak, "Hello, Dr. Moss," and "Hi, Donna."

"You wouldn't happen to be working, would you?"

"What?" Josh scoffs, not making eye contact. "Of course not, we're-"

"You!" Donna points an accusing finger at Toby. "You're the one I have to watch. You're the one that tried to smuggle him that briefing memo on Monday."

Toby looks uncharacteristically intimidated. "We're not working. Um, ma'am."

She gives them one last stern, sweeping look as she backs out of the room. "I'm leaving the door open. So the nurses can hear you."

Sam waits until they can't hear her footsteps anymore. "Not to be crude, but have you noticed..."

Josh sighs. "That my doctor is insanely attractive? Yeah. I've noticed."

"It's hard not to." Toby agrees.

Josh gives them both reproachful looks. "Okay, when you two say it..."

"What?"

"She's a very competent Doctor. Very competent, very scary. She just also happens to be..."

"Hot." Josh allows. "Really, really hot."

"You doing okay with that?"

"No! It's horrible!" Josh bemoans. "She's around me all the time, messing with me, touching me, leaning over me, and then she's all 'wow, your pulse is going up.' Yeah, no shit."

Toby and Sam both chuckle. "At least she seems fond of you."

"I mean, sure, but in a Doctor way. I mean, I'm immobile. I'm pathetic, and bed ridden, and overall unappealing."

Toby smirks. "Glad you've finally realized that."

Josh glares at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

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 **:D this so fun! Thanks for reading, guys, let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Aaaaaand one more for you! Enjoy!**

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Donna frowns as she looks at Josh's monitors, tapping a few things to make sure the numbers are accurate.

"You're frowning." Josh points out. "Why are you frowning? Am I dying?"

Donna shakes her head, trying to neutralize her expression. "You're fine."

He coughs, trying to stifle a wince. "You sure?"

"You're sick." She tells him. "You've got a fever, a cough, you're congested. You have what we doctors might call a _cold_."

"How am I sick?" He coughs again, and winces painfully. "This is a hospital. Everyone wears gloves, masks. People wash their hands every thirty seconds."

"Unfortunately, hospitals are a congregation spot for viruses and bacteria. The sooner we get you out of here, the better."

"Couldn't agree more."

She watches as he tries to stop his impulse to cough, and his face contracts in pain. She furrows her brow. "Are you in pain?"

"No." He denies adamantly.

"Josh."

"Like you said, I have a cold. That's it. I'm fine."

She folds her arms. "Josh, I'm your doctor. I'm the one you tell."

"Donna, I'm getting better. Trust me. I don't want to go backwards."

"You're not. I'm trying to help you move forward."

Josh still looks reluctant, but he can't seem to deny it any longer when he coughs violently and grips his abdomen in agony. "It hurts." He admits. "My incision. And the, um, inside. It hurts."

Donna frowns again, and starts to move his gown aside to examine his incision. "It's the coughing. You're aggravating the wound."

"I'm trying not to."

"It's not your fault." She says softly. She prods his wound gently, and he winces. "Sorry. You haven't busted a stitch, it's likely you're just straining your internal injuries. I'll get you a cough suppressant and some stronger pain medication, okay?"

He gives her a dubious look. "Okay."

She spares him a sympathetic glance. "You're not going backwards, Josh. I promise."

He looks slightly reassured. He coughs again, closing his eyes against the pain. "Okay. I trust you."

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Donna sits behind the nurses' station closest to Josh's room, working on the write up for another patient. She hears a cough and her head jerks up from the chart, her focus immediately honing in on the sound.

Concerned, Carla leans over her shoulder. "He has a cold, Donna."

Donna taps her pen anxiously. "There could be complications. Infection, bleeding-"

"He's on monitors. You gave him the right medication, and he's only coughed twice in the last hour. You need to calm down, and get your work done."

Donna sighs, once more bending her head over her charts. "You're right, Carla. Of course. Of course you're right. He's fine."

"He's fine." Carla repeats firmly. "Now, you need to go somewhere else. Somewhere away from here, where you can focus."

"But I'm fine here-"

"Go."

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At around nine, Donna stops into Josh's room to find that his mother is falling asleep in her visitor's chair.

Josh looks up at her. "Can you tell her I'm fine? That she can go? She's exhausted."

Ruth's eyes flutter. "Mm?"

"Mrs. Lyman-" Donna starts gently.

"Ruth." Ruth corrects her before her eyes have opened fully. She starts to straighten up in her chair, smoothing down her slacks.

"Ruth," Donna continues, "If I could speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course." Shaking off her drowsiness, Ruth follows Donna into the hallway. She looks at her expectantly as Donna closes the door to Josh's room. "Yes, Dr. Moss?"

"You should really go back to the apartment and get some sleep. I assure you Josh is fine, we've medicated him and he's under monitoring."

"I know that, dear." Ruth says kindly, though there's a slight edge to her voice. "But I worry, you know. That's all it is. A mother's worry. And I know he's in very capable hands, but with this coughing pain today on top of everything else..."

"I understand." Donna says sympathetically. "But you'd do better to get some rest. For yourself, and for Josh. It's the best thing."

Ruth folds her arms, smiling softly. She gazes through the observation window into Josh's room, a contemplative look on her face as she watches her son. "He's all I have left, you know."

"Ma'am?"

"I can be overbearing, and I'm aware of it, but he's really all I have. Since his father died... We're it. And I have a life, friends, you know, but it's not the same. He's my family. I rarely see him, and now this. I've always worried, you know, between the overworking, the stress, but this... My son, he's... He's hurt. And I wasn't there."

Donna watches Ruth carefully, her face creased in a frown. "That's not your fault, Ruth."

"I know that. Logically, I know. I can't protect him from anything anymore. Hardly ever could, you know. Josh was always so stubborn. Just like his father."

Donna smiles slightly. "You know, I'd noticed that."

Ruth chuckles softly, her eyes glistening. "You'll have to forgive him for that. This is hard for him. He's always been so hyperactive. It's always constant motion, one task to the next. He hates this."

"It's hard." Donna agrees stoically.

"But you really are an excellent Doctor, Dr. Moss. He's lucky to have you."

Donna dips her head in recognition. "I'm just doing my job."

"You do it very well."

Donna pauses, gazing at Ruth. "You know, Ruth... I'll be here. I'll be here with him, all night. He's in good hands."

"You really want me out of your hair, don't you?"

"I really want you to take care of yourself." Donna says seriously. "And Josh does too."

Ruth looks back at her son, who has yet to notice their observation. "Do you give all of your patients this level of attention?"

Donna starts, noticing the gleam in Ruth's eye. She understands what Ruth is asking. Covering with a smile, she says, "Only the ones with such charming mothers."

Ruth snorts. "I think I will go get some sleep, after all. Thank you, Dr. Moss."

After Ruth leaves, Donna settles into her vacated visitor's seat with a sigh. Josh looks at her curiously. "You got her to leave. Thank you."

Donna leans back in the chair, stretching her legs tiredly in front of her. "She's a very sweet woman, your mother. She cares about you a lot. She's very... Dedicated."

Josh nods. "Yeah. I'm all she has left."

Donna notices that they'd both used the exact same phrase. "I was sorry to hear about your father."

He furrows his brow, growing slightly uncomfortable. "She, uh, told you about him, huh?"

"A little. When did he die?"

"A little over a year ago. The night of the Illinois primary."

"That's terrible." She says softly. "I'm so sorry."

Josh shrugs evasively. "It is what it is."

"And you're her only child?"

"Um." Josh looks away from her again. "No. Well, technically. I, um, had an older sister. She died, when I was eight."

Donna stifles a sharp inhale. She hesitates, unsure what to say. "Oh god, I'm... Again, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Josh waves a hand, and swallows uncomfortably. "It was a long time ago."

"Still."

"Anyway," Josh pushes on, "This is hard for her. Since my dad got sick a few years back, she's been used to me kind of taking care of her. And this is... It's hard."

"For both of you." Donna agrees.

Josh smiles wryly. "Don't you have, uh, any other patients?"

"Oh." It's her turn to look evasive. "No, not really. Nothing urgent."

"Huh."

"I take it you're not in pain anymore?"

He shakes his head blissfully. "This stuff you've got me on is _good_ , Donnatella."

She laughs, the use of her full name never failing to light her up. "I'm glad to hear it."

Just then, Carla sticks her head into the room. "Donna? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure thing." Donna stands and rests her chart in her chair. "I'll be back."

She follows Carla into the hall, and after closing the door, her friend folds her arms and looks at her sternly. "Donna, your shift is over. You got off an hour ago."

Donna looks at her with wide eyes, caught. "Is it... Is it after eight?"

"Donna. He has a _cold_."

"I'm fine, Carla."

Carla gives her a skeptical look. "I started at ten, so I'm out of here in an hour. You coming with me, or what?"

"I... Don't wait for me."

Carla purses her lips, her irritation evident. "A _cold_ , Donna."

Donna shakes her head, not making eye contact. "I have some paperwork to do. I'll see you later." She brushes past her and opens the door to Josh's room.

Josh looks up at her expectantly. "That was quick."

Donna takes a deep breath, and plasters on a smile. "You wanna try to find a movie or something?"

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"So why did you want to become a doctor?"

Donna looks away from the TV, which is currently playing _Sleepless in Seattle_. Josh is looking at her with a curious, almost playful expression. She smiles, and shakes her head. "You'll laugh at me."

"No I won't."

"You will. You'll make fun of me."

"What was it? You've wanted it since you were a little girl? Used to bandage your dolls and all that?"

"No, actually. I didn't know until I was twenty-one."

"Huh. That can't have been that long ago."

Donna rolls her eyes. "You promise not to laugh?"

"Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"You better not, after all I've done for you."

"Spill."

"I became a doctor to prove a point to my ex-boyfriend."

Josh looks at her incredulously. "You _what_?"

"It was like this." She starts, smiling slightly at his expression. "I was kind of aimless my first two years of undergrad. I was dating this guy, Roy, and because I didn't know what I was doing yet, he convinced me to drop out of school to put him through Med school."

"You're kidding me." Josh says flatly.

"But wait. It gets better. I was working full time as a waitress, putting this guy through Med school, right? And he was always complaining about his long days, about how hard it was, and one night I tried to complain about my day, right? And he goes, 'Donna, it's not the same. You wouldn't understand. You couldn't handle Med school.'"

"Now you've _got_ to be kidding me." Josh scoffs. "That guy sounds like a complete asshole."

"You said you wouldn't make fun!"

"Of you. Not of him."

Donna snorts, settling down. "Yeah, well. He was an asshole. It took me a couple months after that, but I left, I went back and got my degree, and I applied to medical school. Harvard medical school."

"Wow." Josh nods, impressed. "That's, um... Pretty far to go to prove a point."

"What can I say? I'm petty."

"It's admirable." Josh tells her, his eyes sparkling. "I think it's admirable."

She blushes. "Thank you."

"What was your major before that?"

A smile tugs at her lips. "You won't believe me."

"Tell me."

"Political science."

He grins. "Hey, no way!"

"Seriously."

"That's... That's..." His eyes drift out of focus. "Donna, I'm..."

"What?" Donna sits forward in her chair, staring at him as he struggles to form more words. "Josh, what's wrong?"

"I'm dizzy." He says faintly, sinking back into his pillows. "I'm getting really, really..."

"Josh, stay with me." Donna says urgently, standing up. "Josh, it's okay, you're-"

"I just..." Josh never finishes the thought, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he loses consciousness. His monitor starts beeping, alerting Donna to the fact that his blood pressure is dropping.

"I need some help in here! Code blue!" Donna shouts through the open door way. She pulls out her pen light, checking for pupil response. In a matter of seconds, she's surrounded by nurses and her resident, Dr. Jenkins, who start assessing the situation. "He's hemorrhaging." Donna tells them with certainty. "He must've ruptured a suture coughing earlier, he wouldn't have felt the pain because I gave him-"

"We've got this from here, Dr. Moss." Jenkins informs her curtly.

She falters, breathing rapidly. "Sir, I don't understand."

The nurses start to wheel Josh out of his room, toward the O.R. "You're dismissed."

"But, sir, I'm his doctor, I really think I should scrub in-"

"No, Dr. Moss." Jenkins maintains. "Nurse Espinosa informed me earlier that you were staying despite being off the clock. You're sleep deprived and you're not prepared to perform surgery, and suggesting otherwise is irresponsible. We will handle this without you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is reeeaaaally short but I figured you guys deserved at least something after that cliffhanger last chapter!**

 **This chapter is also pretty much transitional. Things are really just getting started here, believe it or not most of the story takes place after he leaves the hospital. So get excited for that! I know I am.**

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Staring through the OR's observation window, Donna is jolted out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She turns to find Carla at her side, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"Do you want to say 'I told you so'?"

Donna bites her lip. "I thought you left."

"I was on my way out when I heard. Thought I'd come check on you."

"I'm fine." Donna says dismissively, turning back to stare through the glass.

"Donna." Carla starts, her judgmental tone starting to creep back. "You should get out of here. This is a routine procedure, Dr. Jenkins has done a million of these."

"You said it was just a cough before. If I hadn't stayed-"

"Then someone else would've caught the bleed as soon as his BP dropped." Carla tells her matter-of-factly. Donna frowns, so she feels the need to continue, "But, for what it's worth, having you there to catch it early helped."

"You don't believe that."

"I do. But I also believe that that doesn't mean you now have the justification to spend your already very limited free time sitting at a patient's bedside, because the difference it made wasn't enough to justify that, and you know it."

Donna sighs. "Jenkins will never trust me again, Carla. I've made a complete idiot out of myself, getting too attached to this damn-"

"Stop. It's happened to the best of us. You think Jenkins hasn't slept on the floor beside a patient he liked too much? You think I haven't stayed here for thirty-six hours, hovering over some kid who's had a minimally invasive procedure? It happens. People care. You try not to, but it happens."

"I was a hazard."

"We're all hazards sometimes. We're human."

"But..." Donna trails off feebly, unsure how to articulate what it is about her that makes her so much worse than her colleagues. Carla is, as ever, impossible to argue with.

"And that's what makes you a good doctor. You care. More than most, that's true, but it's what makes you better than most."

A smile tugs at Donna's lips. "You couldn't just let me wallow in it?"

Carla smiles. "No. Now, I'm going home, do I have to drag your sorry ass out of here?"

"I think I'll stay."

Carla nods, as if she'd expected this. "Why don't you go lie down in the on call room, yeah? Laverne's on tonight, I can have her page you when he wakes up."

Donna deliberates momentarily, glancing once more through the observation window to where Josh lies unconscious. "I guess... I guess that would be okay."

"Okay." Carla starts to guide her out of the room. "Okay. C'mon, it'll be okay."

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When Donna's pager goes off, she swipes her hair blearily out of her face and sits up in bed in the on call room. It takes her a few minutes to recall what had happened, and why tonight isn't simply a night on call like any other. She swallows and tumbles out of the room, speed walking to Josh's room. She stops at the nurse's station on her way and Laverne fills her on and his condition and how the surgery went, somewhat allaying her nerves.

She approaches his bed and sees his eyes struggling to stay open as he comes out of the anesthesia. She smiles softly at him.

"Hey, Josh. You're just coming off anesthesia. I don't know if you remember, but you passed out. It was due to internal bleeding, it appears you ruptured one of your sutures coughing yesterday. Dr. Jenkins repaired it in surgery, which went smoothly. You're going to be okay, there shouldn't be any more complications from here."

He blinks at her a few times, his eyes hazy. "Thought you said..." His voice is raspy from the tube he'd had down his throat for the surgery. "I wasn't going backwards."

She falters. "This was a routine procedure, it shouldn't set you back much. A couple days at most."

"Mm." He closes his eyes and leans back against his pillows. "You're a liar, Donnatella."

She can't help but smile slightly. "Do you want me to call anyone? Your mother, your friends?"

He manages to shake his head slightly. "Time 's'it?"

Donna pauses. She realizes she actually has no idea what time it is. She glances at her wristwatch, surprised at the numbers there. "It's about two am."

He shakes his head again. "They're sleep."

"But I'm sure they-"

"No." He says, more firmly. His eyes flutter open again briefly. "Shouldn't you be... Asleep?"

She isn't sure what possesses her to reach out and gently smooth his hair with her fingertips. She justifies this to herself with the fact that he probably won't remember this, anyway. "No, I'm here for the night. Don't worry."

"You should... Sleep."

"I might." She drags a chair closer to his bed, and sinks into it so that she's still in his eye line. "But not until you do, okay?"

He smiles softly, turning his head toward her. "You're an angel, Donnatella. A liar, but an angel."

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Donna is woken in the morning by a hand on her shoulder. She straightens up, her neck cracking painfully due to the the odd slumped position she'd slept in. She turns around stiffly to find that the hand on her shoulder once again is attached to Carla and her concerned eyes. She gestures out of the room and Donna follows, stretching as she goes.

Donna looks up at her guiltily as she shuts the door of Josh's room. "I know. I know, okay?"

"You slept in his _room_?"

"I didn't mean to, I just..."

"Donna."

Donna purses her lips. "I think that I need to step away from this case, Carla."

"You think?"

"The nurses can take over changing bandages, administering medications. He'll start physical therapy in a few days and be out of here, and until then I'll just do daily checks."

"It's not wrong, you know. It's just that while he's here..."

Donna shakes her head. "Daily checks. And then he'll be out of here, and I can focus again."

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Carla checks in on Josh at around ten, by which time his mother and friends have arrived. He gave permission to call and update them after he was fully awake and was sure that they would be too. At first they had been concerned, but after seeing for themselves that his condition didn't seem worsened, they had relaxed and are now just staying to keep him company.

She smiles softly as she maneuvers in between them to reach his monitors and check his vitals. She catches vague snatches of a conversation about a congressional committee and thinks briefly of admonishing them, but decides against it. Josh looks away from his guests, distracted, as she checks his IV.

"Hey, Carla."

"Hey Josh. How are you feeling? Any pain at the incision sight?"

"I'm fine." He says quickly. "Listen, is Donna - I mean, Dr. Moss - is she around, because-"

Carla blinks a few times, then covers with a smile. "She's not here right now, actually."

"Oh." He's briefly thrown off. "Okay, and she'll be back-"

"Tomorrow, probably. She's off today."

"Oh." He says again, now looking seriously put out. "Right."

"But I can answer any questions you might have for her. Or I can page Dr. Jenkins if you like, I assure you he's-"

"No." Josh gives her a thin smile. "It's fine. I was just wondering."

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 **Thanks for reading :) Things get really good from here, I promise! Happy St. Patrick's Day!**

 **Thoughts/feelings/predictions/weird superstitions that you have?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is my fave chapter so far. It's super cute, I hope you guys enjoy.**

 **Fair warning, I did try to cram about as many months into this chapter as Sorkin did into the Midterms ep, so it moves at a pretty breakneck pace. Buckle up!**

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"He's here." Carla informs Donna with a loaded smile as she bumps her shoulder.

Donna frowns, hardly looking up from her chart. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"I don't know why he couldn't have found another doctor. Someone closer, a smaller practice. I gave him plenty of referrals. I'm a trauma surgeon, I don't have time for routine check ups."

Carla gives her a skeptical look. "Lots of patients prefer to stay with the same doctor."

"Mm."

"He likes you, Donna. He _likes_ you." Carla emphasizes, her smile creeping back through once again.

"Whatever." Donna says brusquely, though Carla can start to see a small smile of her own forming. "Everyone likes me. I'm very likable."

"Not what I meant."

"I've got this thing to do." Before Carla can tease her further, she pushes off the counter and goes to find Josh in one of the exam rooms. She knocks once and enters to find him sitting up on the table, leaning back on his hands. Even though she knows in theory about recovery speeds, she's almost surprised by how much better he looks. "Joshua."

He breaks out into a dimpled smile, which elicits one from her. "Donnatella."

She can't help giving him a once over that isn't entirely professional. "This is the first time I've seen you in something other than a hospital gown."

"Thank god for that."

He's wearing sweats and a Yale t-shirt. "I thought you went to Harvard."

He looks down at his shirt. "Oh yeah, for undergrad. I went to Yale law."

"Of course you did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"I was also a Fulbright scholar."

"I don't remember asking."

"I thought you might be wondering."

"I wasn't."

"Do you wanna hear about my SAT scores?"

"I don't, as it turns out." She looks down at her chart, trying to refocus on the exam. She clears her throat. "So, you're four weeks post-op. How are you feeling?"

"Good." He says easily.

She gives him a skeptical look. "How's it going with your home nurse?"

His eyes dart away from hers. "Great. Just great."

"Liar." She points a finger at him. "I have the notes from her right here. Apparently you've tried to fire her twice."

He sighs dramatically. "She's a despot! The woman is a slavedriver, she's nurse ratchet."

Donna mouth curls into half a smile. "I'm the one that recommended MaryAnne, you know. I thought she'd be a good fit for you."

"If you were trying to kill me, sure."

"I'm sure she got along well with your mother."

He gives her a look. "She basically _is_ my mother. You did this on purpose."

Donna shrugs innocently. "I figured if your mother wasn't going to be there, I should make sure her point of view was accounted for."

"You're an evil woman."

"I'm an angel." She holds the chart to her chest. "According to you, anyway. So your mother flew back home?"

"Yeah, some friend's son was getting married. And thank god, we were driving each other up the wall."

"She cares for you."

"I'm a thirty-five year old man. I don't need my mom."

"Everyone needs their mom."

"I want a new nurse."

"I told MaryAnne she was impervious."

"She certainly seems to think so." He mutters.

"Alright Josh. Since home care is going well, tell me about physical therapy."

"It's torture."

"It's hard, I know. But have you seen any improvement? Your mobility certainly seems better."

"It is." He agrees. "I'm working on it. Stiffness, still, but it's getting better. I can walk, now."

"Short distances only, yeah?"

"Yes ma'am. The car to here, no more."

"Glad to hear it. Did MaryAnne bring you in today, or-"

"Leo, actually. He's got a driver he sends sometimes, he's out in the lobby. I told him not to come, but you know."

Donna smiles indulgently. "I like Mr. McGarry. He's a good guy. I never thought the White House Chief of Staff would be so..."

"So what?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. He's just very caring, that's all."

Josh gives a slight smile. "Don't tell anyone."

"Okay. Enough stalling. I'm going to examine you, okay?"

"That is your job."

"Don't get cute with me."

"I'm always cute."

She looks down at the vitals the nurse had reported before starting her examination. "Your blood pressure is high." She notes, trying to distract herself as she lifts his shirt to examine his incision. It's healing well, and seems less tender as she gently prods around it.

"I think that's natural."

"It's not. It's your stress level."

"How do you know?"

"Which one of us went to medical school, Josh?"

"So, I'm stressed. There's not much I can do about it."

"Any number of the breathing exercises I gave to you, cutting back on work-"

"Donna, let's stop prescribing stupid solutions and start throwing drugs at me, okay?"

She laughs. "Let's start checking your mobility, okay?"

"Sure thing."

After doing some routine stretches and strength exercises to test his progress, he asks the expected, "So when can I get back to work?"

She gives him a stern look. "You've still got some work ahead of you. Your mobility and stamina aren't nearly enough to support a normal work day, let alone what I'm sure you consider normal."

"So then... Not tomorrow?"

"Josh."

"Donna."

"The blood pressure is also worrying. With injuries like these, we have to be mindful of possible complications-"

"Donna, c'mon. You've gotta give me a light at the end of the tunnel here. Something to work toward."

A faint smile crosses her face, and something possesses her to say, "I'll tell you what. I'm not making any promises on work, but if the next time I see you, you can do five sit ups, hit the next mark on the breath spirometer, and you've got your blood pressure within the target range-"

"I'm listening."

She raises an eyebrow in challenge. "I'll take you on a date."

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Two weeks later, Donna watches in astonishment as Josh does his tenth sit up on the exam table. "So are we good now? I can stop?"

"Your blood pressure is the lowest I've ever seen it."

"I've been doping."

"Josh."

He sits up fully and gives her a look. "I tried the damn breathing exercises, are you happy?"

"You're almost back to normal levels on the breath spirometer."

He leans back on his hands, tilting his head and giving her an absolutely infuriating grin. "I like lobster."

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In mid-November, Donna and Carla struggle into their favorite coffee shop against the bitter wind outside. Carla had stayed the night at Donna's the night before as a reprieve from her nagging mother, and the two decided a pre-work pick me up wouldn't be out of line. Usually they take their coffee at the hospital, but something about the cold morning outside made them want something a little bit nicer.

"We're going to be late."

Carla shrugs. "But warm."

Donna moans at the thought. "Warm. So warm."

"Maybe if you didn't live all the way across town..."

"Maybe if rent was cheaper closer to the hospital." Donna rebukes.

"Maybe if Laverne made better coffee."

"Maybe if neither of us had ever been born. Point is, we're here, we're going to be late, and I'm getting a double shot caramel macchiato."

"You go girl."

Just then, Donna hears a voice she thought she may never hear again. "Donnatella Moss!"

She whips around, a surprised smile lighting up her face. After she'd cleared him to start work two weeks ago, she thought she'd seen the last of him. "Josh."

"As I live and breathe." He pulls her into a hug, catching her off guard with his strength.

She takes him in. The whiny man child with the nice smile is a far cry from the apparently fully functional man in front of her, dressed in a suit, though admittedly still looking a bit rumpled and bearing his usual dimpled grin. "You look good."

He raises his eyebrows at her. "Thanks."

She colors. "I meant you look well. I mean, you look healthy."

He continues to smirk at her. "Back at ya, Donnatella."

Donna clears her throat. "Carla, you remember Josh."

"Gunshot." Carla recalls with a wide smile. She shakes his hand. "Almost didn't recognize you."

The cashier clears his throat, prompting Carla and Donna to step up and give their orders. As they fumble for their wallets, Josh steps in and hands the man his credit card. "On me."

"Hey, no, you don't have to-"

"You guys saved my life. Least I can do."

Carla seems happy to accept. "Hey, thanks."

Donna smiles slightly as she follows him over to wait for their drinks. "We were just doing our jobs. And, besides, I already owe you one."

He shrugs. "Now you owe me two."

The barista slides a tray of four drinks across the bar. "Josh."

"That's me." He picks up the tray and starts for the door.

"Thirsty, huh?"

He points alternately at each cup. "Sam, CJ, Toby, me."

"How'd you get stuck on coffee duty?"

"They were bringing stuff to me for three months. Figure I should return the favor."

"You really don't have to do that."

"They really didn't have to do that for me, either." He gives her a smile. "Good seeing you."

"Yeah, you too. I hope you're taking care of yourself."

"Always." He says brusquely. He pushes out the door backwards, and she notices that he carries a backpack. The concept is oddly endearing. "I'm expecting a call about that lobster any day now."

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It's barely been two weeks since her last chance encounter with Josh when Donna finds herself at a nice restaurant on one of her rare nights off, trying vainly to enjoy a date with a complete wet blanket named Todd. She'd met him at a party one of the radiology techs had thrown the week before, but now that she's sober he's strikingly dull. The most interesting part of the evening so far is that they encounter secret service agents on their way in, who check their bags and pat them down.

"It's a really nice place." Todd informs her with a self important smile as they're led to their table. "I'm sure some Senator or other is here tonight, there's usually one or two."

Donna nods half heartedly. "Uh huh." She can't believe she'd wasted her thrifted, hot-as-hell red dress on this schmuck.

She doesn't notice a pair of brown eyes tracking her to her table. She's surprised once again when Josh pops up at her side, a familiar gleam in his eyes and his hands in his pockets. "Donnatella Moss."

She jolts at his sudden presence, putting a hand on her chest. "Oh my god. What is wrong with you?"

"You seem pleased to see me."

"Did you die sometime recently, due to, I don't know, high blood pressure? Are you haunting me?"

He grins. "My blood pressure is great, and you know that."

She breaks into a smile, and stands up to hug him. She's only slightly surprised when he kisses her cheek as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "It's good to see you."

"And you." He gives her an appreciative once over that makes her blush. "You look great. Scrubs don't really do you justice."

He leaves his hand on the small of her back, which she finds she rather likes. "Josh, this is Todd, my date. Todd, this is Josh, a former patient of mine."

Josh shakes Todd's hand with the hand that isn't still on Donna's back. "This is some girl you've got here, you know. She saved my life."

Todd nods, bemused. "Did she now?"

"I wish you would stop telling people that."

"What? You did. I was shot, Ted. And Donna here saved me from the clutches of death."

"Todd." Todd corrects meekly.

"Who are you here with?" Donna peers over his shoulder, searching the restaurant for a table with some attractive, polished looking woman watching them. She finds none.

"Oh, come with me, I'll introduce you."

Donna starts to follow him, casting an apologetic glance at Todd. "I'm sorry, Todd. I'll be right back."

"Sure."

Josh leads her to a secluded corner booth, where three men, two of whom are significantly older than Josh, look up at her curiously. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet someone. This Dr. Donna Moss, she was my doctor at GW."

One of the older men cackles. "So you're who we have to blame for this bastard still running around, huh?"

Donna smiles, confused. "I'm afraid so."

"Donna, this is Congressman Jacob Schultz-" she shakes the older man's hand, "-Congressman William Walford-" the other old man, "-and Congressman Matt Skinner." A younger man smiles kindly at her.

"Wow." She says somewhat breathlessly. She feels slightly dizzy. She realizes suddenly that the secret service present outside is there probably solely to protect those present at Josh's dinner meeting. "It's amazing to meet all of you."

"You don't have to lie to them, Donna."

"What was Josh like as a patient?" Walford asks her, eyes twinkling. "Annoying as all hell, I'd imagine?"

She smiles weakly. "Something like that, yes, sir."

The table laughs, and Josh rolls his eyes. Matt Skinner asks, "What brings you here, Doctor?"

"Oh." She glances behind her, having forgotten Todd entirely. "I'm on a date, actually."

Matt gives Josh a look. "Leave the poor girl alone, Josh."

"What?" He says innocently. "I thought you might want to meet her. You know, give her hell for keeping me alive."

"And we have. Now, enjoy the rest of your date, Dr. Moss."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'll be right back." Josh warns the table, and leads her away. "C'mon, let's go to the bar. You look like you could use a drink."

She whips around to glare at him. "What the hell was that? I can't believe you!"

"What?" He asks nonchalantly.

"Whiskey sour." She tells the bartender. "Springing three congressmen on me like that! I wasn't prepared, I looked like an idiot, I-"

He furrows his brow. "No you didn't. And it's not that big a deal, they're just people, you know."

"To you!" She simmers down. "What was that supposed to be, impressive? You bantering with elected officials like they're your frat brothers?"

He shrugs. "I didn't even know I was doing that. We're just familiar, that's all."

" _Ooh, I'm Josh Lyman_." She mocks, dropping her voice in a exaggerated impression of him. " _Look at me, I went to two Ivy Leagues and I'm on first name basis with half of Congress."_

He snorts. "You just looked like you needed saving, that's all."

She sniffs primly. "Well, I didn't. I'm having a perfectly lovely evening. Or, I was, until you came along."

He shakes his head, chuckling. "Okay. I'll let you get back to your evening with Tim."

"Todd." She corrects.

"I'm working, after all."

" _I'm working._ " She mocks in her Josh voice.

He grins, heading back to his table. "Have a nice night."

She smiles despite herself. "You too." At the last second, she feels compelled to call out, "Josh!"

He turns around, halfway back to his table, and takes a few steps back toward her. She realizes then what it is that had made her feel ill at ease. He looks rough - he has circles under his eyes, and she thinks perhaps he'd lost weight. She'd been so taken aback by his presence that she hadn't noticed at first. "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling?"

He gives her an odd look, a dry smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Doing just fine, Donnatella. You don't need to worry about me."

She almost believes him.

After their meal, Todd asks the waiter for the check. Instead, he informs them cheerfully, "Actually, your meal has already been taken care of by a gentleman who left earlier this evening. He asked me to leave you with this."

The waiter procures a receipt from his pocket and hands it to Todd, who scrunches his forehead as he reads it. "What a jerk. I don't get this, do you?"

Todd hands her the receipt, and she sees Josh's sloppy signature at the bottom. At the top, he'd scrawled, _Now you owe me three!_

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 **I told you it was cute! More things to come soon, stay tuned!**

 **Thoughts/feelings/predictions/March madness predictions?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's been a long time since I updated this fic... Or any fic, for that matter. It was a combination of writer's block and other confounding personal factors, but thankfully, the worst seems to have passed! Hope spring's eternal :)**

 **Thanks for keeping the faith, guys. I hope you like this next installment, and hopefully I'll have another one for you soon! Love you all.**

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On Christmas Eve, Donna is stuck working a late shift at the hospital, dealing mostly with drunken accidents, cooking mishaps, and a few car accidents. She's a little disappointed to not be at home with her family for her favorite holiday, but she's tried to make the best of it. Between putting up stockings in the on call room, doing secret Santa with her fellow interns, and playing holiday music in the trauma ward, she's managed to maintain some holiday cheer. At around ten, she's doing some stitches on a man who got into a drunken brawl with his cousin when Carla approaches her, a tense look on her face.

"Josh is here."

Donna looks up, confused. There's no way she heard that right. "What?"

"Josh Lyman. Gunshot. He's here in the ER, I thought you might want to see him."

Donna's heart picks up a tick of speed. "What? Is he okay?"

"I think so, all Laverne told me is that he's in exam room two. I can take over for you here." Carla offers.

"Thanks." Donna mutters, pulling off her gloves and quickly striding down the hall to the exam room. She tries vainly to keep her anxiety at bay. A list of possible complications runs through her head, though none seem likely so far into his recovery. Had he gotten into an accident? She tries to keep the worst thoughts at bay as she stops at the nurses station and locates his chart. She breathes a deep sigh of relief. "Hand laceration," she mutters.

After collecting herself, she pushes into Josh's exam room to find him sitting up on the table, cradling one hand in the other. His eyes flash as he recognizes her, and she swears he looks almost guilty. "Donnatella. Thought my injury might be a little below your pay grade this time around."

"Hey there, stranger." She smiles, settling into a chair and rolling closer to him to look at his hand. "People around here know you. They thought I might want to handle this."

He shifts uncomfortably. She thinks for a moment that maybe he hadn't wanted to see her, but she can't be sure. "Right." He says softly.

"So, what did you do to yourself?" She asks cheerfully, brushing past the momentary awkwardness.

He avoids her eyes. "Oh, I um... Broke a glass."

She falters. Something about his tone is off putting. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then." She says neutrally. There's something wrong here. "It's going to need a couple stitches, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He mumbles. "That's fine."

She continues to sneak glances at him as she works on his hand. He seems shifty, and eager to get out of here as soon as possible. "You look tired."

Josh twists his face into a smile. "You wouldn't know it, but this is how I usually look, Donnatella."

"Really?"

"It's been busy at work, you know how it is."

"Sure, yeah."

He clears his throat. "You're working Christmas Eve."

"Somebody's gotta."

"That's rough, I'm sorry."

"It's not so bad." She's surprised at his attempts at small talk. It seems diversionary. "At least I didn't have to schlep back to Wisconsin."

"You miss your family?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Ah."

"How's your mom?"

"Good, I think."

"Seen her recently?"

"Not since August."

Donna frowns. Reluctantly, she starts tugging off her gloves. "Well, you're all set, Josh. I'll give you some dressing and antibiotics, you know how that is-"

He springs up eagerly. "Great, thanks. That's great."

He shifts from foot to foot as he waits for her to pack him a little sample bag of gauze and tape. She bites her lip as she hands it to him, and he reaches for the door.

"Thanks, Donna. Really, you're a lifesaver. Again. Anyway, Merry Christmas, maybe I'll see you-"

"Josh." She says softly.

He hesitates with his hand on the doorknob, his eyes flickering. "Yeah?"

"Josh, what's wrong?"

He falters, turning slightly back toward her. "I don't know what you're-"

"Josh." She says again, her voice kind but firm.

His shoulders sag, and he looks away from her. She watches his entire body slump, almost as though he's caving in, giving into the pull of gravity. "Donna..."

"You don't have to tell me, it's just-"

"I put my hand through a window."

Her eyes widen, but she tries to stifle any emotional response. "Oh."

"I just... I've been having... These past few weeks, it's been-"

"You don't have to tell me." She says again, softer. Timidly, she takes a step toward him. "Really."

He looks at her with round, tired eyes. "Thank you."

"I just want to know that you're okay."

"I'm... I'm getting there."

"Okay. There's a lot of people that care about you, you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Okay. It's late, I'll let you go home."

"Yeah, I guess you should get back to work."

"Yeah."

"Thanks for... You know." He shoots her half a sad smile, and she can't help calling out to him one more time.

"Wait."

"Yeah?"

"Josh... What are you doing tomorrow?"

"For Christmas?"

"I guess. I mean, you're Jewish, right?"

"Well, yeah. Leo invited me to have dinner with him and the First Family, but I don't know, I think it would kind of weird, especially given what's been going on lately, and they're all super catholic, and..." He trails off with a sigh. "Anyway."

"Spend it with me." She says impulsively, reaching out imploringly toward him. "The day, I mean. We'll... I don't know, we probably can't get that lobster, but... We'll do something."

He raises his eyebrows. "You're not doing anything for Christmas?"

"I'll be sleeping in until noon after I get off here, and then... No, not until dinner. I'm kind of stranded here, after all."

"You... You're sure?"

She grabs her prescription pad and scribbles her phone number. "We'll both be stuck here alone tomorrow. Might as well spend it together, huh?"

For the first time, she sees a slight genuine smile on his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

"Okay. Don't call me until after noon, okay?"

"You got it."

"I'll see you tomorrow." She smiles softly.

"Yeah." He finally makes it into the doorway, looking considerably brighter than when he came in.

"You're okay getting home?"

"Yeah. Leo brought me here, actually."

"Okay. I'll see you."

"Yeah. See you."

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At one in the afternoon on Christmas Day, Donna opens her front door to reveal an unusually nervous looking Josh Lyman. He smiles at her, giving an awkward wave with his bandaged hand. "Morning."

Her heart does a strange little jump. "Guess you could call it that. Merry Christmas."

"You too."

She steps back to let him in, feeling a touch nervous herself. Though she'd by now seen him a few times outside the hospital, she still hasn't quite gotten used to it. Not to mention that this is the first time they're seeing each other _on purpose_. The sight of him in jeans and a sweater, walking into her apartment and casually taking in the decor is enough to send warmth coursing through her body.

"Uh... Nice place."

"You don't mean that."

"I do!"

"I didn't have time to clean, I'm sorry. I know it's a bit of a mess."

"No, seriously. It's...cozy."

"Cozy?" She follows behind him curiously as he examines her bookshelves.

"Lived in, you know? I don't spend that much time at my place. Hell, half my stuff is still in boxes."

"How long have you lived there?"

"Almost five years."

"Oh."

He smiles, picking up a picture frame. "Your family?"

She comes to stand beside him, both looking at the picture of her in cap and gown, posing next to her brothers, sister, and parents. "Yeah. Med school graduation."

"They look...wholesome."

"They are."

"A good Midwestern farm family. Sturdy, hardworking people."

She snorts. "I grew up in a condo, actually."

"Wouldn't have guessed."

"But it was near a farm."

"That's close enough." He sets the photo back down, once again at home in a sea of medical textbooks and romance novels.

"How's your hand?"

His face darkens. "Uh, good. It's good."

She puts a reassuring hand on his arm. "Don't worry, I'm not going to doctor you today. Let's get going, okay?"

He seems relieved. "Yeah."

Half an hour later, he finds a parking spot outside the movie theater, their large takeout bag filling the car with the scent of Pad Thai and Kung Pao chicken. She gives him a dubious look as he comes around to open the door. "Place looks pretty crowded."

"There's more Jews in the world than people think."

"I hope it's not sold out."

"It won't be. God, you've really never done this before?"

She shrugs, following him into the theater. "Nope. Some might say I'm a Jewish Christmas virgin."

That makes him smile. The sight of his dimples definitely makes her goofy joke worth it. "Glad to pop that cherry for you."

If she'd been drinking something, she definitely would've choked on it.

As he'd predicted, the showing is not sold out, and a few minutes later they're finding their seats for _Castaway_.

"I'm so excited. I love Tom Hanks."

He gives her an amused look. "Who doesn't?"

"Fair point. This good?" She gestures at the third row of seats, which is fairly open.

"Perfect."

Josh and Donna had spent a lot of time together in the hospital. It wouldn't even be unfair to say they knew each other well. But, as they sit through the long saga of Tom Hanks's island isolation and return to civilization, Josh realizes that he still has so much more to learn about Donna. The more nerve wracking realization he has shortly thereafter is that he _wants_ to learn more about her. In fact, he wants to know everything about her.

Donna seems captivated by the movie, but he can't help sneaking frequent glances at her. The way she smiles. The way her eyes light up. When he starts digging through her food with his fork, unable to find a piece of chicken due to the darkness of the theater, she mindlessly skewers one and then holds it up to his mouth for him to eat. When she reaches into his lap for some of his food, she does so blindly and frequently stabs his leg with her fork. When the scene of Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt in the rain comes on, he notices tears falling down her cheeks.

In his opinion, she's by far the most captivating part of this movie going experience.

As they leave the theater, Donna still drying her eyes, Josh finds himself going a step further than his usual hand on the small of her back. He puts his entire arm around her shoulders.

She doesn't seem to mind. She leans into him and throws her own arm around his waist. She smiles at him. "That was _so_ good."

"Yeah." He says absently. "Great."

"You didn't cry." She says in an accusatory tone.

"Mm. I'm not much a movie crier, as it turns out. A surprising quality of mine, I know."

"Heartless bastard." She mutters.

They emerge into the street and blink against the harsh winter sun. They disentangle themselves and turn to look at each other. "You, uh... You've probably got to get to dinner soon, huh?"

She frowns and looks at her watch. "Oh. Yeah, I guess I do. I've gotta get all the way across town, so..."

"Do you want me to drive you?"

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to..."

"It's seriously no problem."

She purses her lips. "Actually, would you... Would you maybe want to come to dinner with me?"

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. Yeah, if you want. I'd love the company."

"Isn't it, uh... Am I invited? Don't I have to be invited?"

"Oh, it's just at Carla's."

"It's Carla's dinner?"

"Yeah. Her and her mom, her brother..."

"Sounds like it's kind of a family thing."

"Please. She's bringing her boyfriend Turk home for the first time tonight too, so she'll definitely be thrilled about the added buffer."

"I'm going as a buffer?"

"Don't take it personally. So am I."

A half smile starts to spread across his face. "You're sure you want me to come?"

She hesitates. "I just think... Today doesn't feel over yet, does it? For us, I mean. I mean... We were in a movie. It's not like we had much chance to talk."

He grins fully. "You know what? You're right. Besides, what else have I got to do? Let's do it."

She blushes slightly. "Right."

"Not that I would've said no, if I had other options."

"Of course. Only if they were better options." She's joking, of course, but deep down she really is hoping that he's not just here today because he's going through a hard time, and doesn't have anyone else around to keep him preoccupied.

"What could be better than being a joint buffer with you at an awkward Christmas dinner, Donnatella?" He gives her that disarming dimpled grin as he unlocks his car and opens the door for her. "Nothing, that's what."

She smiles to herself as he climbs in on the other side. "How's your Spanish?"

"I don't know any Spanish."

"You and Turk both. It's going to be a fun night."

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 **D'awww, look at 'em...practically dating and all that jazz :')**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Two chapters in two days! I'm baaaaaack ;)**

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The night is winding down at the Espinosa household, and Donna finds herself in the kitchen with Carla, having a final glass of wine for the night. Carla's mother had gone to bed half an hour ago, and her brother Marco had taken off to have a night cap with some friends. That left Carla, Donna, Turk, and Josh. As men seemed inclined to do, Josh and Turk had formed a fast friendship and were currently discussing football in the living room.

"My mom hates him." Carla tells Donna, sounding disappointed but unsurprised.

"She'll come around." Donna comforts her. "Turk's a good guy."

"Marco hates him, too."

"That was bound to happen."

"I guess you're right." Carla sighs. "Anyway, let's not talk about it. Let's talk about Josh."

Donna doesn't make eye contact, blushing slightly as she stares into her wine. "What do you mean?"

"You brought him to Christmas dinner, Donna."

"You said you wanted buffers!"

"Donna."

"Okay." Donna allows. "Okay, it's... We're..."

Carla smirks. "I like the guy, you know. I really do."

"Yeah. He's likable."

"And the two of you seemed very... Close, at dinner."

Donna smiles softly. Dinner had been nice. The palpable tension in Carla's family aside, Donna had enjoyed sitting next to Josh, casually swapping bites of food and muttering little comments to each other as if they'd done this all their lives. It felt... Intimate. Somehow, it seemed almost like a window into the future. "You know, somehow we're just like that. It's not even... We haven't done anything yet. Today was pretty much platonic. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think it was a date, but..."

"You haven't even kissed? Nothing?"

"Nothing." Donna affirms.

"Could've fooled me." Carla casts a surreptitious glance through the doorway at Josh and Turk. "You should get out of here and take that nice man back to your apartment."

Donna snorts. "Trust me, I've been thinking about it."

"Then what's the hold up?"

"I don't know. He might not feel the same way."

"That's one of the stupidest things you've ever said to me."

"Or... I don't know. There's just something off. Maybe not with us, but with him at least. There's something wrong."

"Like... What?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out. I think he might've been lying about how he cut his hand."

"So what? Men lie about stupid shit all the time. He probably cut it trying to load the dishwasher or something dumb like that."

"I don't know." Donna doesn't sound convinced.

"Well, whatever. That's not your problem. What is your problem is that you two are out here acting engaged and you haven't even hit first base yet."

"You know we're still technically on our first date, right?"

"You're not acting like it."

Donna chuckles. "Message received. You want me out of your house."

"Hey, you said it. Not me."

"Alright." Donna drains the last of her wine. "Good luck with your mom."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"I really think this one's a keeper, Donna."

Donna smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We'll see."

She walks out into the living room, tucking her hands into her back pockets. "Josh? You ready to go?"

Josh looks up at her with an easy smile. Being around people had seemed to bring out the funny, charming side of him she knew well. "Sure thing."

He downs the last sip of his beer and sets the bottle on the table. "Good meeting you, man."

"You too." Turk shakes his hand.

"Good luck with..." Josh gestures upstairs to where Carla's mother is. "All that."

Turk winces. "Thanks man."

"Thanks for having me, Carla."

"Course, gunshot. Anytime." Carla says slyly. She approaches him for a brief hug. "Drive safe, you two."

"Thanks."

They collect their coats from the hall and step out into the night, which is even colder than when they arrived. Donna shivers, folding her arms as they make their way down the front steps. Reflexively, Josh puts his hand on her back.

"You have a good time?" She asks.

"Yeah." He shoots her a grin. "Good food. Good people."

"Yeah. They all seemed to like you. Hell, even Marco."

"I've been told I'm rather charming."

"Mm." Donna hums her agreement. He unlocks his car and she feels her nerves growing. How's this night going to end?

He feels it too. A thick tension descends in the car as they close their doors. Partially to mitigate this, and partially due to the freezing temperatures, he turns the car on and puts the heat on full blast. "You, uh... Want me to take you back to your apartment, then?"

"Um, ok." She supposes she can deal with whether or not to invite him up when they get there. "Or... Actually, I haven't seen your apartment."

She frowns. That was not smooth at all.

He looks uncomfortable, and her stomach immediately tenses. "Oh, uh... It's not much."

"Neither's mine, but I still let you see it. It's only fair." Great, now she's getting defensive. That's super attractive.

"Uh... It's kind of out of the way." He says reluctantly.

"Where do you live again?"

"Georgetown." He says, increasing tension in his voice.

"Oh well that's not too bad. It's not like it's much of a drive from mine, which is-"

"No." He snaps suddenly. "No, we're not doing that."

She feels a sudden flash of hot embarrassment. She supposes she'd prodded him, but... Wow. She swallows painfully. "I'm sorry, I..."

Josh immediately looks regretful. He sighs, slumping back in his seat. He takes his hands off the wheels and twists them listlessly in his lap. "No, Donna, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"No, you don't have to say anything, it's-"

"There's a broken window in my apartment."

"There's...what?" She asks, confused.

"There's a broken window." He says again, each word seeming to cause him pain. He shoots her one furtive glance. "I... Honestly I haven't even cleaned up the glass. It's cold as all hell in there, and... Trust me. You don't want to go there."

"Josh." She says softly. She turns to him hesitantly. "What happened?" She asks, though she has a guess.

He holds up his bandaged. "I, uh... I happened." He attempts a twisted smile.

She breathes out slowly. "Oh."

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't want you to think I was crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy."

He closes his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Please stop saying that."

"I didn't mean to snap just then."

"It's okay."

"I wasn't... I'm trying to..."

"Josh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"I want to tell you. I'm _trying_ to tell you."

She sees him physically struggling to find the words, and on a whim, she reaches out and gently places her hand on the back of his neck, just grazing the curls there. "Hey, take your time. Why don't we go back to my apartment and we can talk there, okay? I'll make some coffee..."

He smiles slightly, and leans back into her touch. "That sounds good."

"Okay. You good to drive?"

"Yeah."

"You want any music on?" She asks as he puts the car in gear, pulling her hand away from his neck to hover in front of the stereo.

He falters. "Would it be okay if we just... Let it be quiet, for a while?"

"Sure." She says easily. She settles her hand on his knee, not feeling right without touching him. "Sure."

They arrive at her apartment not long after, and walk in hand in hand. She gives him a smile as she heads into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on, and he shrugs out of his coat.

Eventually, he follows her into the kitchen and leans against the counter, arms folded. He watches her moving around, his eyes glowing softly. "Hey, thanks for today."

"Of course." She turns the coffee maker on and goes to stand next to him.

"I, um... I was diagnosed with PTSD yesterday." He says without preamble.

She neutralizes her expression and simply says, "Okay."

"I didn't want to accept it. Last night I was... I was in bad shape when you saw me."

"I could tell."

"I don't know how it started. Suddenly I just couldn't stop... Living it. I couldn't stop feeling it. And I tried. I tried so hard."

"Yeah." She moves closer to him, pressing her arm against his. He stares at the floor, but leans into her slightly.

"I guess it started to become noticeable. I wasn't sleeping. I was running on autopilot. There were some... Incidents. I guess my friends started getting worried."

"They care about you."

"Yeah, it was... It was understandable in hindsight. They made me sit down with a guy. But that was after... By then, I'd already put my hand through a window. Hell, I'd already blown up in the Oval."

"The... Oval Office?" This is the first thing he'd told her that truly catches her off guard.

"I, um... I yelled at the President."

"Of... The United States... Of America."

A slight smile tugs at his lips. "I know. It was really bad."

"You've still got a job?"

"He's a good man, President Bartlet. And Leo..."

"He'd do anything for you."

"Yeah." Josh agrees softly. "He, um... He understood."

"I'm glad you had someone like that."

"I wasn't... I wasn't fully conscious when I did those things. Yelling at the president. Putting my hand through the window. I don't really remember most of it. I just remember what was going on in my head. My chest..." He struggles to explain. "I don't know. It was..."

"Sounds scary."

He dips his head. "I guess."

"I'm sorry you've been going through that, Josh."

"You don't seem surprised." He notices.

She smiles slightly. "You know that I'm a trauma surgeon, right?"

"Well... Yeah."

"Though not all of them necessarily follow up with me, I'm well versed in the probability of PTSD in my trauma victims. In fact, I'm pretty sure I sent you home with some literature on PTSD. Warning signs, therapist referrals."

He turns and looks at her blankly. "You...did?"

"Uh huh."

He smiles a little. "I feel like an idiot."

"It's okay. I'm sure most people don't read it."

"So... You don't think I'm crazy?"

"Not even a little." She nudges him with her arm and stands up off the counter. "Coffee?"

He furrows his brow, still thinking. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure."

"You're not crazy, Josh. With the proper treatment, I fully believe you can manage this. Loads of people do. Of course, knowing you, and your general resistance to being treated for anything-"

He waves a hand. "I'll... I'll go. I'll go to therapy. Seriously. I'll do the work this time."

"You did it last time." She reminds him. She gives him a winning smile. "You just needed a little encouragement."

"So you'll take me on a date every time I go to therapy?"

She hands him his coffee, glad to see he's flirting with her again. "Sure."

"Well then." He clinks his mug against hers. "Mental stability, here I come."

She laughs. "Glad to be of service."

He gives her a serious look. "I was serious earlier Donna. I want to thank you for today. It really... Helped."

His warm brown eyes gazing deeply into hers makes her feel slightly short of breath. "I'm glad."

"You always do, you know. Don't know what I would've done without you in that hospital."

She's definitely heating up. She gazes shyly at the floor. "It goes both ways. You were my favorite patient, you know. Certainly made a lot of long days better."

He grins. "I try."

She falters. "Do you wanna, um... Watch TV, or something?"

He considers this. "No."

"A movie?"

"No."

She smiles, flustered. "Okay, well what, a board game?"

"Nope." He's still grinning.

She makes a little gesture of incredulity. "So what, you just want to leave, or-"

He interrupts her by grabbing her chin in one hand and gently pressing his lips to hers. After a moment, he smiles against her mouth. "No." He mutters.

She's stunned into inaction for a moment. Her heart is definitely doing somersaults. "Oh. Okay. We could do that, too."

He gently eases her coffee mug out of her hand and sets both mugs on her counter before returning to stand directly in front of her, only an inch away. "Okay."

Unable to resist his maddening smile any longer, she makes the move this time and grabs him firmly by his sweater, pulling him toward her and sealing her mouth against his. Lacking the sweet hesitancy of a moment prior, she kisses him intensely, and he responds in kind, pushing her back against the countertop and allowing his hands to stray to her waist, her hair, her neck. Breathless and eager, she tangles both hers in his hair, barely taking the time to think about how this is somehow even better than she'd thought it would be - and she hadn't come in with low expectations.

He pulls back for a moment, both breathing heavily. In an instant, he lifts her atop the counter, making her gasp, and then redirects his attention to her neck. She inhales sharply as his teeth barely graze her neck. She wraps her arms around him, pulling him to her as tightly as she can. She squeezes her eyes shut, feeling his hands start to play with her waistband and the bottom hem of her sweater.

He hesitates, and she opens her eyes to find him gazing up at her with wide eyes. He gives her sweater a little tug. "Is this okay?"

She melts. "More than okay."

He pulls off her sweater and shirt in one go, and then stares at her in amazement for a few seconds. He bites his bottom lip and says "Fuck," which is somehow both the sweetest and hottest thing she's ever seen.

She grins. "Your turn." She starts pulling at his sweater, and he assists her in getting it over his head. She gazes at him warmly, and reaches out to gently trace a hand over his scar. It was practically healed last time she saw him, and now it looks completely natural. She can't seem to stop herself from saying, "I told Carla the abs wouldn't be gone for long."

He furrows his brow. "What?"

"It's just, during your recovery, I kept talking about... You know what? Never mind."

He looks deeply amused. "You talked to Carla about... My abs?"

"Hey, remember how we were making out a second ago? Let's go back to that."

He shrugs. "Whatever you say."

A few minutes later, it's clear they're both getting worked up. He's definitely not the only one thinking it when he pulls back and manages to gasp out, "Bedroom?"

She bites her lip, which certainly doesn't help matters. "Are you sure? It's okay if you're not feeling-"

She's barely begun to articulate the sentiment before he's cutting her off with a deep kiss. "I'm sure." He kisses her again. "I'm sure."

She smiles, sliding off the counter and practically onto him. He backs up, allowing her feet to hit the floor. She grabs his hand. "Bedroom's this way."

They're starting to drift off when Donna suddenly remembers that she has a nine o'clock shift the next day. Hoping not to disturb Josh, she cautiously stretches toward her alarm clock, which is difficult given that his arms are around her.

Proving he's not yet asleep, Josh gently kisses her shoulder before releasing his hold on her, letting her grab her clock.

"Work tomorrow?"

"At nine."

"Hm. Do you want me to, uh... Get out of your hair?" He tries not to sound too reluctant.

"No! No, of course not." She says, perhaps a little too eagerly. She settles back down against him, her head on his chest. "Please stay. You can sleep in, even if I have to get up."

"I'll be up." He says easily.

"In fact... If you wanted to stay here, you know, until your window gets fixed..."

He stiffens. "Oh. Um..."

"That's too much, isn't it? I'm sorry. It's too much. We've been on one date."

"Donna-"

"I just thought-"

"Donna, it's not too much." He says gently, running a hand through her hair. "I just... Wouldn't want to put you out."

"You wouldn't be. Seriously."

He smiles softly. "Thanks for the offer."

"Yeah, of course."

"I'll think about it, how's that?"

She reaches out to thread their fingers together. "Yeah. Sounds good."

That night, Josh sleeps soundly for the first time in months - but not for the last.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **Cuties :')**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I did! Stay tuned for more updates!**


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